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The Raccoon Arms Jukebox

The Anna Raccoon Archives

by Petunia Winegum on July 25, 2015

They’re coming to take it away ha-ha, hee-hee, boo-hoo. Yes, the Raccoon Arms Jukebox has spun its last scratchy disc. It has expired. It is an ex-jukebox. It has served us well. Many is the time a heated debate has come perilously close to fisticuffs, only for the mood to be abruptly improved by the sudden and shrewd selection of the right tune for the right moment. Remember when Fat Steve and Windsock were having a lively exchange of opinions and some wag stuck their coin in the slot, swiftly followed by Chuck Berry’s ‘My Ding-A-Ling’? We were all friends again within seconds. Music has the magic to soothe tempers and put the listener in a happier place.

With this in mind, we the management have decided our humble hostelry will not be deprived of what is as crucial an item of furniture as the bar stools and the pool table. As soon as old faithful is unplugged and taken away to that great gin-palace in the sky, we shall be arranging the delivery of a replacement. In time, this new model may indeed come to claim our collective affection, but before that happens, it might be a good idea to nominate whichever tracks you reckon will enable the new Raccoon Arms Jukebox to carry on the good work of its illustrious predecessor.

I shall open the nominations with ten of my own and hope a fine balance is achieved between the generations of patrons…

1) ALL DAY AND ALL OF THE NIGHT, The Kinks

A timeless burst of adolescent energy that scythes through the age barrier.

2) GOOD TIMES, Chic

Much imitated and sampled, but the slick original remains the disco groove no one’s feet can resist.

3) SHAKIN’ ALL OVER, Johnny Kidd and The Pirates

The finest British rock ‘n’ roll record of the rock ‘n’ era by far.

4) DANCE TO THE MUSIC, Sly and the Family Stone

Soul + Rock + Psychedelia = One of the great 3½ minutes of the 60s.

5) CIGARETTES AND ALCOHOL, Oasis

A tribute to the traditional pub odours, both of which can still be found here (for those in the know).

6) 20th CENTURY BOY, T. Rex

The greatest Glam Rock riff of all, and you can’t beat a bit of Glam!

7) SOMETHIN’ ELSE, The Sex Pistols

Some might opt for the Eddie Cochran original, but the Sid Vicious cover still rocks.

8) THE JEAN GENIE, David Bowie

Another jukebox gem from the Glam era, and another memorable riff.

9) ANY OLD PUB PIANO STANDARD, Mrs Mills

Everyone’s susceptible to an old-school singsong when a lock-in is on the cards.

10) THE SUN AIN’T GONNA SHINE ANYMORE, The Walker Brothers

A ballad is always handy for when the drinker reaches that melancholy stage, and this is the best.

So, there are my ten nominees. There’s room in the jukebox for more, so let’s have yours…

In no particular order: “I Feel Alright” – The Damned. cover of Iggy – anarchic energy – what’s not to like? “Torn” – Natalie Imbruglia, because we’ve all loved and lost (I expect) “Once In A Lifetime” – Talking Heads, life just keeps on moving “God Only Knows” – The Beach Boys because we all love someone (I hope) “Starman” – David Bowie, hard to choose which Bowie, but this because of that TOTP “Anyone Who Had A Heart” – Cilla Black – Bacharach done Brit style, wonderfully over-dramatic “Paranoid Android” – Radiohead, for all the kicking, squealing Gucci little piggies “Being Boring” – Pet Shop Boys, because none of us were ever being boring, were we? “Street Life” – Roxy Music – art school fabulousness “Cafe Del Mar” – Energy 52 – for the rave days and euphoria distilled

I realise that some of these won’t get played often… but when I’m in, they might!

What coins will I need to bring, or will you be selling tokens? I think I shall need enough to play at least 45 of your nominations. I add just two of my own – Chesney Hawkes , The One and Only and BeeGees, You Win Again. Can’t wait to join you – Oh – perhaps Chuck Berry should be included, just in case Fat Steve and Windsock start up again…

Oooh, I didn’t know she’d half-inched that line… I’d be a bit scared of bringing it to her attention to be honest! A great song, too. The lyrics are listed as: “Come on, yell, yell, loud and swell” – presumably to escape the censor?

(Loads of good stuff from all across the musical spectrum being suggested here… no time to rack my brains at the moment.)

To be fair, with it having been a pretty obscure B-side, most people tend to think of it as a Joan Jett song, anyway. Joan was a bit of a British Glam junkie in the 70s, a regular at Rodney’s English Disco in LA at the time, so she probably knew it before anyone else in the States.

I’ve just been watching your TOTP rundown, Petunia, that then led to another with a cruel dig at the magnificent Showwaddywaddy!https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=enbMF-ISeF8 On possibly the most miserable holiday of my life (certainly the dampest) I fought with several middle-aged women over the singer’s black satin shirt that he’d tossed into the audience at a miserable Ayr “leisure centre”. It got quite heated until one of ’em dug out her moustache-clipping scissors & a little square was given to each of us. I’ll still have it, somewhere, pressed between the pages of the programme that had the fantastically-named drummer, Romeo Challenger, posing with his flash sports car in front of a stately-looking home. Fond memories! (It was the last year for family holidays on home-soil…)

Really?!? Er, I hope I didn’t give the impression that my Dave Bartram souvenir was low-grade tat, a remnant of a poor quality garment tossed into the audience approximately 100 times a year! It’s a collector’s item (unwashed, obviously). I’m sure it could be dug out – sensible offers only, please. Will also consider trading for interesting items (pubic tufts from 70s’ starrs, etc.).

“Baker Street” G.Rafferty -the greatest ‘sit at the bar nursing a litre of scotch’ song ever. Fact. “She Sells Sanctuary”-The Cult, a song to live, drink, make love and fight to. “Smash it up Parts 1&2″-The Damned (I’m biased, I lost my virginity with that song playing) “Reasons To Be Cheerful Part3″ -Ian Drury (does anyone need to be told why?) “The Law’s The Law”-The Pretenders (best for background music for those political discussions). “Woke Up this Morning {full intro}” Alabama 3-Serious drinking music “Stars Over 45″ Chaz n Dav- for the knees up. “Hotel California” -Cos the sun never shines in Norfolk.

Not so keen on “Sun ain’t gonna shine” by The Walker Bros after hearing the East End Urban Legend (?) that that was playing on the jukebox down the Blind Beggar when the Krays took out Jack The Hat , supposedly a bullet struck the jukebox and kept it on ‘loop’.

1. Roadrunner – Junior Walker and the all Stars (1966). One of the first records I bought. Originally released in 1966 when it got into the US charts, but only a big UK hit in 1969. The sax has long been one of my favourite instruments. 2. Heart full of soul -The Yardbirds (1965). Keith Relf in despair with that cracked voice of his on this great Graham Gouldman composed hit from the pirate radio era. 3. Tallahassee Lassie – Freddy Cannon (1959). An incredible guitar riff introduces possibly the first “punk rock” song. The ideal jukebox record. 4. See Emily play – Pink Floyd (1967). Syd era hit single, full of great hooks – tight, commercial psychedelia. 5. It’s cold outside – The Choir (1967). One of the best American garage rock records – teenage white boy teen angst at its peak – “It’s cold outside..and it’s all because of you….” 6. Dear Lady twist – Gary (US) Bonds (1962). Bonds had a string of American dance hits from 1960 to 62. Most were fairly poorly recorded, which actually gives them a unique, muddy, live “someone just turned on a tape recorder at a party” sound. 7. Johnny B Goode – Chuck Berry (1958). Hard to choose just one Chuck record, but I decided this was probably his greatest moment. The one they sent into space, I think. 8. California Dreamin’ – The Mamas and papas (1966). 9. The end of the world – Skeeter Davis (1963) 10. I fought the law – The Bobby Fuller 4 (1966). The original hit version, though the song was first done (and written) by the Crickets in 1959. Tragic Bobby Fuller was one of rock’s early losses, a notable “what if…”

Songs 3 ,7 and 10 are given an ideal showcase, lip synched on the wonderful mid 60s US TV pop show “Hollywood a go go” (a programme with notably hot dancers), which can be seen on Youtube – though the Freddy Cannon and Chuck Berry numbers are being performed several years after the songs had originally been hits.

@ finally, by law Recall a summer holiday in a pub in a universe far far away, when we were staggered to find “Trampled Underfoot” on the Juke. We must have spent as much making that play that over and over, as we spent on the beer… Got a thirst now….. Off to the pub…..

House of the Rising Sun – The Animals even though it killed the group Gimme Shelter – Angelique Kidjou. I liked but never understood the song till I heard her version. All Along the Watchtower – Hendrix. Who else could outclass Dylan on his own ground. Tobacco Road – The Nashville Teens. Somebody to Love – Fairport Convention River Deep, Mountain High – Tina Turner, even if Ike was on the credits Little Wing – Eric Clapton Smooth – Santana Somebody to Love – Jefferson Airplane. Albatross – Fleetwood Mac or Pink Floyd. That’s one way to beat the 10 limit

How did HOTRS kill the Animals? I did hear that Alan Price left a bit later as he was getting the royalties for the song and was comfortably off without needing to do all touring with them (apparently he had serious airplane phobia too). The Animals had many more hits after HOTRS and became very big in the States too.

I shall refrain from joining in for obvious reasons of good taste but I must urge a listen to a track, not a hit and generally unnoticed, by the mighty Stevie Nicks – Touched By An Angel. I shall have it played at my funeral (although, in my will, I’ve demanded that they chuck me in the bin and bury instead some poor homeless soul). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ih-j1rvPN2g

Mr King’s “Everyone’s gone to the moon” might make my top 20 – such an hauntingly evocative record. I did buy his “Let it all hang out” in 1969 (I was 12) and never knew the song had originally been an American hit a couple of years earlier by the Hombres till years later.

Anyway my version was just as good as The Hombres! My Just Like A Woman was as good as Dylan’s too and my Satisfaction (as Bubblerock – though I do like Windsock’s spelling) was described to me by Miss Jagger as “the best version apart from ours”. While we’re on music, my old friend Annie Nightingale celebrates 50 years of pop picking this week; years ago she turned me onto this absolute gem – The Mighty Sparrow’s Obeah Wedding (hilarious lyric about personal hygiene). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xh1EvmgT-5A

With all due respect , I beg to differ. You in your hat nicked, I feel, from an episode of Camberwick Green or Bill and Ben, gave a rather serious song (chant? Hippy Rap?) too much of a comical slant. Don’t get me wrong, IMNSHO you did it very well but I still feel you did it a slight disservice.

“Makes Galileo look like a boy scout ?” Never understood that line, if that’s what it is.

I assume (and yes, AFAIK that is the correct lyric) that it references Galileo ‘overthrowing’- or turning upside down to keep with the song- the accepted, mainly religious, World Order and his nutty contention that the Earth circles the sun not vice versa. I dare say there are some reactionaries who still think the Earth is round…

I think JK’s cover was a bit similar to portraying “Mr Tambourine Man ” as a Morris Dancer….at least his TOP performance with that hat….

There was a song back in the 80s, by Hooray and The Henries I think. Comical covers a la Baron Knights….

“Three sixty nine, it was really cheap wine. I came home blotto with a parking fine. Caroline choked, grabbed me the throat: ‘Gosh, it’s only seven and you’re already chateau’d’. Take that, that and that!

Other ditties included “Why did he have to be a …Stockbroker” and “Care to be in One’s Gang- Rather!”

and perhaps best of all their take on “Elena Rigby” “Eaton or Rumbridge, what’s the best school for the Brat? Oh drat! Harrow’s full, Winchester’s dull”.

Can’t t find them on Youtube but they would go well on the Xmas Juke box.

Marvin Gaye – the ‘What’s Going On’ album. The most stylish & beautiful way of stating “we’re all fucked”. Visionary.

The Beatles – Revolution 9 & the rest of ‘The Beatles’. I’m not being obtuse, I love it.. it has structure and stands up to repeated listens. And the sequencing of the White Album is genius even when certain songs are not.

Love – the ‘Forever Changes’ album. Several tracks really resonate but in particular ‘The Red Telephone’ “Sitting on a hillside, watching all the people die. I’ll feel much better on the other side, I’ll thumb a ride..” “they’re locking them up today, they’re throwing away the key. I wonder who it will be tomorrow, You or Me?”

The Four Seasons – difficult to choose from their marvellous arrangement of I’ve Got You Under My Skin, Opus 17, Don’t Think Twice, Watch The Flowers Grow, (You’re Gonna) Hurt Yourself, Working My Way Back To You, Too Many Memories.. Thank K-Tel for that one, and my Mum for playing it a lot when I was young.

The Rolling Stones – the Exile On Main Street album. Sounded like a racket on first listen, by the 5th play I was hooked. “Feel”.

The Beach Boys – Pet Sounds. It’s been said this album is a ‘young man’s guide to life’, and I’m grateful to EMI for remastering it for CD when I was 17. “I Just Wasn’t Made For These Times”, indeed.

Musical tastes, so personal, so varied, so moods and that depends on you. For what it is worth, though I am damn sure no one is interested apart from myself and it changes more oft’ than the weather, it’s kinda showing off in a very moderate and tempered state of fugue.

Small Faces: All or nothing. Ian Dury: sweet Gene Vincent. Dr. Feelgood: Roxette. Neil Young: Harvest moon (a yearning wistfulness). Led Zep: Black country woman. Fleetwood mac: Sarah (What power oh that awe inspiring, a quite stunning voice). Floyd: welcome to the machine [“wish you were here” all of it really] . Cult: lil Devil (opening riff) and the same for Guns’n’Roses: sweet child of mine. Stone Roses, I am the resurrection [re mix]. James: Sound. YES: tales from topographic oceans. Genesis: Ripples. Metallica: Master of puppets. Dido: I will go down with this ship. Duffy: Mercy. Bowie: Heroes. AC/DC: Heatseeker – no tricks with this lot seen ’em a few times.

And pretty much everything by Beethoven, Mozart, Dvorak, Puccini, Bizet, Chopin, Grieg and lots and lots of others. Sorry, got a bit carried away I do love hard rock – metal but I have time for Motown, country, trad jazz, jive, dance, trance and like a bit of singing – English folk and, hymns even. Whatever floats your boat, except most things recorded by Simon Powell + his predecessors, Stock, Aitkin and Waterman, Hughie Greene.

For my great sins, I’ve Oirish roots in me blud – somewhere. I go back sometimes and I will not have any truck with that ridiculous notion, a republican tactic blame game, chip on each shoulder and the “bloody” English from Cromwell to the potato blight too…. hate thing. For the love of St. Patrick, they need to get over it and when all is said and done, after 300 years the Dublin crazies got freedom and 50 years later gave it up to be the Brussels beastly bum chums. Oi, and Irish logic in a half empty glass of poteen; sway to the ocean going political lunacy = the peculating totally corrupt nutters of Fianna Fail and Fine Gael and a people woefully let down – time and again and again.

Like everybody else, i’ve far too many favourites to list. But here’s a selection that would be suitable for a long beery evening with mates: Nina Simone – Sinnerman Madonna – Ray of Light The Levellers – What a Beautiful Day Rolling Stones – We Love You Johnny Cash – Hurt (one of his greatest, I reckon) George Thorogood – Who Do You Love? (This’ll get ’em out on the dancefloor!) The Chieftans with Elvis Costello – St Stephens Day Murders (best played on Boxing day… heehee) Willie Nelson – City of New Orleans Leonard Cohen – Hallejulah (or practically anything by him, really) The Pretenders – Forever Young Barclay James Harvest – Poor Mans Moody Blues Emmy Lou Harris – Save the last Dance For Me The Monkees – Rhui Chui (Confession: I was a member of their fan club…)

GLORIA by Them Layla by Derek and the Dominoes That’ll be the Day by Buddy Holly and Crickets. Pretty Woman by Roy Orbison 500 Miles by Proclaimers. Perfect Day by Lou Reed Born to be Wild by Steppinwolf.

My my! Pish and tosh! What a bunch of glums and beardies you all are! Leonard Cohen? The Levellers? Rolling Stones? This is all sooooo old and boring! We need something HAPPY and MODERN! Why has no one even mentioned Boyzone? What about some West Life, Backstreet Boys, BLUe (squeeee!). And of course for some classic stuff you CAN’T beat TAKE THAT (love you Jason! Mwah!) or SAVAGE GARDEN. And to really fizz things along UP TO DATE the some RICKSON and maybe some Kanye West. Anyone? Anyone? Tra la la! Sister Eva

I don’t like either of them. HARLOTS. And that LILY ALLEN can take a walk too. Singing that sweet little Christmas song one minute (the one where the bear wakes up and eats ALL THE OTHER ANIMALS IN JOHN LEWIS) or something and about not having an ORGASM the next. I would prefer some Shania TWAIN thank you very much. And SLIPKNOT!

Virtually none of mine have beards – pre beard popsters. Who will listen to Kayne West in 50 years? Certainly not me as I’ll be very dead. Which will be a blessing if rap STILL hasn’t gone down the toilet by then – the fate it so richly merits (and the fashion dweebs are still trying to bring back flared trousers).

Being brought up in deepest Ruralshire I still know all the words to ‘I gotta a brand new combine harvester’ and have been known to ‘sing’ it under the shower (‘sing’ in it’s loosest possible sense =’not actually speech’).

I Love the richness and variation, the sounds of the English tongue, though I dwell in Northumbria of the mark of Danegeld. Wurzels are Anglo Saxons and should be, as should we all be – rightly proud of a quite wonderfully burred accent. Aye and don’t ever change lads, who could ever desire, would need a BBC accent, although these days I cannot understand the new faces, I find I am slightly ever so nostalgic for a Home Counties gal strangling the language with her clipped tones and that delicious, overtly condescending manner, flinging us pearls, we lucky masses.

I know a song by the 5th Dimension called “Carpet man” (1968). A US hit for them written by Jimmy Webb. But I must admit I don’t know “Puppet man”. Mouse and the Traps did a hep Dylan clone called “A public execution” in the 60s.

The ‘Carpet Man’ track is from a whole album of Webb songs – a concept album, no less! – which they semi-ruined by inserting a Beatles’ cover slap bang in the middle. (“Considered a concept album, it tells the story of a couple’s love affair from its beginning to its demise.”) I like to see a bit of ambition, even when it falls flat! Some of Webb’s work is fantastic, even when he’s singing it himself. My folks went to see him a few years ago at my prompting, and I have a signed album as a reward! (‘Twilight Of The Renegades’, it looks like he knocked them out on his CD-burner & Epsom!).

‘Puppet Man’ is actually a Neil Sedaka song, which always surprised me. Tom Jones does a pretty funny version & has a good dance to it on YouTube. I found the album, ‘Portrait’, in a yard-sale in the States when everyone was switching to CDs and chucking out their ‘worthless’ vinyl. It was a good day – The Byrds, Lee Hazlewood, Johnny Cash & a few others for a dollar or two… anyone with foresight & a business-mind could have made a killing, but who knew? (The same album has a lovely version of Sam Cooke’s “A Change Is Gonna Come”).

“A Public Execution” is what drew me to The Traps – heard on an Andy Kershaw show I wondered how I’d never heard the Dylan-gem before! The compilation I have of their ‘hits’ shows them having a go at just about every style going in a desperate attempt to make it big! Bless ’em! ‘Maid Of Sugar…’ is a real ‘speaker shredder’, which I can’t really enjoy as much as I once could down to tinnitus… a horrible reminder of too much time spent listening to too much music!

What about catering to all the drunken air guitarists: Layla Derek and the Dominoes, also caters for the air pianists Sabre Dance: Love Sculpture, Dave Edmonds, showing off before all the later shredders Smoke on the Water: Deep Purple. Richies riff became the bane of all who work in guitar stores. Crossroads: Cream. Showcases Eric again but listen to Jacks Bass, awesome and what inspired me to play bass. In The Air Tonight: Phil Collins. Can’t forget the air drummers.

What’s the capacity of this jukebox ? It’ll need to be bigger than any Wurlitzer I’ve ever seen if it’s to squeeze in all the regulars’ favourites. I fear we may be talking digital, just need a lap-top and a pair of speakers, then everyone can just bring a USB stick with their favourite anthems to inflict upon the rest. As a non-musical type myself, I nevertheless gracefully suffer Mrs Mudplugger who requires a USB stick in each car, currently heading for 1000 of her favourite tunes – an eclectic mix of 50s to 70s pop, some light classics, a few bits of opera, the occasional big band and a handful of ballads guaranteed to set her tear-ducts flowing every time – my job is just to add tunes when she spots them and keep the various sticks in synch. All I can say is it must have been a wet Saturday round your parts – to get to 140 comments on the topic says something about the weather or the regulars, or both.

The jukebox in our local features “Margate” by Chas & Dave. The fact that it’s as popular as it is may have something to do with the fact that the pub is called the Market Inn and you can sing “Down the Market with all me family”!

Thank you to all for contributing so enthusiastically to this here post. The man who supplies the discs for the jukebox is currently propping his eyes open with matchsticks as he scours eBay for some of the more obscure suggestions!

FWIW, here’s my selection: I was obliged to join a gym for a while to sort out a shoulder injury and put a great deal of time and effort into choosing suitable music, much of which would, I think, be eminently suitable (even if some discerning souls have got there first).

‘Swords of a Thousand Men’! Just last night I went through all my seven-inch singles to stop the walls closing in, selecting several for the nearest charity shop, and I saved the Tenpole Tudor masterpiece, complete with ‘cavalier’ picture sleeve.